Container.



A. VAN RENSSELAER.

CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.20, I9II.

1 285, 3&3 I Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

INVENTOR flflllenvazzfimwelaer I WITNESSES x B. I

ATTORTEY UTED snares rarnnr ai eron.

ALLEN VAN RENSSELAEB, F TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

CONTAINER.

specification ofnettere Patent.

HElSSUE Patented Nov. 19, 11.9118.

Application filed August 20, 1917. Serial No. 187,158.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, ALLEN VAN BnNssE- LAER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tulsa, in the county of Tulsa andState of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Containers, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to new and useful -vide means for counteractin reduces the quantity of material required in the construction of the roof and walls of the container.

Further objects of the invention are to control the escape of gases from the container, to lessen the formation of gases from the liquid in the container and to reduce the evaporation losses from said liquid.

A still further object of the invention -is to reduce the danger of losses by fire and lightning to a minimum.

In carrying out my inventlon I provide a container having its bottom-open, and completely submerge the same in a body of liquid, such as water, which has free access to the container through said open bottom, with means for intnoducipg the liquid, such as oil, to be stored into the container at the upper part thereof whereby the same will be held under hydrostatic pressure. The invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically pointed out in'the appended claims.

In describing my inventlon in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of the invention utilizing an artificial basin.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, before the liquid to be stored is placed in the-container.

Fig. 3 is a like view after the liquid to be stored is placed in the container.

In these figures, 1 indicates a basin 0011- sisting of the lower and relatively small part '2 and the upper and relatively large part 3 connected to the lower part by the portion 4, whose bottom may be sloping. The cylin dric'al form shown may be modified. 5 is a pipe leading from any suitable source of supply of.liquid (hereinafter called water), by

which the basin is to be filled, and extending to the lower part of the basin, said pipe being provided with a valve 6. 7 represents the lower part-of a cylinder having its sides preferablyconcentric with the sides of the lower art 2 which is therefore made annular, an this container has its top closed and its bottom open. Said cylinder is held in a fixed positionin the basin and has its .bottom spaced from thebottom of the basin by means of the blocks 8 or other suitable supports. 9 represents a partition across the cylinder forming the top of the container.

which is fixed within the walls thereof and I may be flat or inclined, and the said top is provided with an outlet port controlled by a float valve 10. 11 represents an equalizingv reservoir, located within the cylinder above the container, the bottom of which is formed by the top of the container. Said float valve is set to close when the water reaches a predetermined height in this receiver. I prefer to form said reservoir by extending the sides of the cylinder upwardly and securing the partition within it, thus separating the container from the reservoir. The port in the top 9 opens into the said reservoir. 13 represents a pump connected with the basin by means of the pipe 14, and with the reservoir by means of the pipe 15. 16 represents an equalizing valve located in the lower part of the reservoir, below the levelof .said float valve, and leading to the basin. 17 indicates a pipe provided with a valve 18 for introducing the liquid to be stored into the container (hereinafter called oil). 19 represents an outlet pipe provided with a valve 20 for withdrawing the oil from the container. 21 represents a pipe having a valve 22 for discharging air or gases that may accumulate in the container.

To prepare the container for the reception of the oil or other liquid to be stored the valve .6 in the pipe 5 is opened so as to allow the water to flow into the basin, said valve remaining open until the water reaches the 5 top of the lower part 2 when said valve is closed. Due to the fact that the bottom of the container is open the water will rise in said container as well as in the basin, and as the valve 10. is open said water will pass through the same into the reservoir until enough has entered said reservoir to raise the float of valve 10 and thus close the valve at a time when the level of the water in the reservoir is the same as that in the basin. It will be understood that this is the only occasion that the water from the basin is admitted to the reservoir through valve 10; Fig. 2 shows .the arrangement of the parts at the completion of the above operation.

When it is desired to fill the container with the oil or otherliquid to be stored,

' valve 18 is opened and the oil is forced into the container near. its top so that said oil will force out the water from the container through its open bottom into the basin, thereby causing saidwater to rise in the basin and fill the enlarged part. 3 thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. In this manner the water in the basin will exert a hydrostatic pressure upon the oil in the container which in turn will create an upward hydrostatic pressure on the under side of the'top-9.

. This pressure will increase as the amount of oil in the container is increased, and will act as an additional safeguard in preventing the development of gases and more carefully protect the greater quantity stored. To overcome the upward pressure on the top of the 40 container the pump 13' is put in operation to force some of the water in the basin into the reservoir, thus the weight of the water in the reservoir will counteract the hydrostatic pressure of the oil in the container.

As any gases formed within the container may be highly explosive when mixed with the proper amount of air and ignited, their discharge from the container may be controlled through. the pipe 21 by the valve 22.

When it is desired to remove some of the oil in the container the valve 20 in pipe 19 is opened and said oil will be forced out by the hydrostatic pressure or it may be' pumped out. While the container is being emptied the upward pressure on the top 9 is reduced, thus rendering it desirable to diminish the amount of water in the reservoir. This is automatically accomplished by means of the equalizing valve 16. which, when opened will allow the water to flow from the reservoir into the basin until the pressures on either side of the top 9 are equalized. This will continue untilthe reservoir is empty.

05 While I have shown the containe'r'placed in an artificial basin I do not wish to be limited to this construction as I may place the container in a natural basin. In this case the container would be submerged until the conditions shown in Fig. 2 were fulfilled. Of course in this case the Water in the natural basin would not rise to a very great extent when the container is filled with the oil to be storedand the water is driven therefrom into the natural basin. Furthermore, if it is not desired to conserve the water in the basin the enlarged part 3 may be omitted,-but in this case, the water running to waste when the same 'is driven from the container by the entrance of the stored oil would have to be replaced whensaid stored oil was removed.

If desired a' number of containers may be placed in a single basin and operated either independently or conjointly by means of interconnecting pipes and valves.

It will be seen that the container with its .contents is completely submerged in the Water in the basin,'thus the oil in the container is always held under hydrostatic pressure. Moreover, said container belngcom- -pletely covered by the water'in the basin,

the danger from fire and lightning is completely eliminated and the evaporation of the oil reduced to a minimum. By the use of the reservoir for counteracting the upward pressure of the contained oil, the material re- 7 quired for the construction of the roof of the. container is reduced.

By means of the valve 22 in the pipe 21, the passage of air or gases from the container is controlled. 4

It is thought from the foregoing that th advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that I may make slight'changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

While I have herein described the stored liquid as being'oil and the protecting liquid as being water, I do not wish to be limited at all in this respect so long as the former is a liquid of lighter'specific gravity than the latter, so that it will float thereon as has been set forth.

I claim as my invention: 1-. In a device of the class described, the combination with a basin; of an upright cylinder fixedly mounted therein and spaced from the walls and floor thereof with its bottom in open communication with said a basin, a fixed partition across said'cylinder provided with a port, and an upwardly closing float valve'set "to close said port when the liquid rises above said partition a predetermined distance.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a basin, and means for admitting relatively heavy liquid thereto; of

an upright cylinder fixed within said basin in the wallof the reservoir, a pipe line conand with its lower end in open communicanecting th reservoir wlth the basin, and a tion therewith, a partition across said cylpump in said line.

inder defining a reservoir above and a con- In testimony whereof I aflix niy signature 5 tainer below said partition, the latter having in presence of two Witnesses.

a port, a float valve set to close said port pLLEN N RENSSELAER when liquid rises within the reservoir a predetermined distance, means for admitting \Vitnesses: a relatively light liquid to the container and H. A. LANE, 10 withdrawing it at will, an equalizing valve VALTER P. RATHELL. 

